Page 37 - MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS EBOOK IC88

One market research technique uses the data gathered by those in contact with the customers like,
sales personnel, front office staff, bitting clerks, room boys, ushers, messengers, telephone operators. At
all these contacts, some messages are available as to what the customer (a) expected, (b) got or (c)
missed. These messages are not usually in the form of clear statements, but are often implied in
enquiries or comments.

Customers express themselves subtly and indirectly, even if asked directly. "How did you like the
service?" or "Hope you enjoyed being with us." are meaningless questions that will elicit casual answers
like "O.K.". Formal feedbacks and questionnaires thus fail to communicate much. A teacher cannot
expect a student to tell him that the class was not interesting. But the teacher can gauge it from the way
the students sit in the class, from the earnestness with which he is accosted, from the `light' in the
student's eyes, from the comments made between friends, from the nature of discussions during a
break, from the spontaneity of response to a joke. When a student tells a faculty member, in an in-
house programme "The lecture was very good, Sir. You are very knowledgeable. Your level is much
higher than ours", the real meaning is "We did not understand you".

People in contact with customers can pick up a lot of data on customer needs, expectations and
experiences, if they are sensitive enough to listen to the comments. They can hear complaints that are
not explicitly expressed. A customer who does express a complaint explicitly, is indeed doing a great
service to the service provider. It is found that generally very few customers complain. They just switch
brands

(c) Insurance Related

1. To assess customer needs, expectations and experiences, in services needs techniques other
than the traditional. The business of insurance is still more difficult. I ne service of insurance
actuary exists at the time of claim. The customer at that time is a person in distress. A person in
distress perceives differently than a person in a joyous mood. No claimant will ever say, that he
regrets having taken insurance, unless, of course, there has been a terrible mistake and the
claim is being denied. A widow in receipt of a life insurance claim is the best endorsement for
the life insurance business. She would never feel that the sum assured was more than adequate
or that life insurance is bad because of inflation. She is the one who experiences the pleasure of
the insurance agent bringing in money

2. It is difficult for a person in perfect health or in a booming business, to visualize the real
situation at the time of a tragedy. The needs can be known only from persons who have gone
through such situations and they are the claimants. Those needs will have to be understood by
agents keeping in touch with the claimants and helping them through the difficult situations,
knowing how the money has contributed to (i) the avoidance of something unpleasant and (ii)
the creation of a pleasant alternative. The experience of the claimants while collecting the claim
amounts can also help in streaming the delivery system.

(d) Complaints

1. Every complaint provides an opportunity to add a new element to the service, or to improve the
delivery, thus augmenting the product. Customers should therefore, be encouraged, to record

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